Physiological monitoring of an animal, such as a human, typically includes the monitoring of vital signs, such as pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. Other physiological data of interest may include blood chemistry information, body temperature, hydration levels, sweat electrolyte information, electrocardiogram data, and the like. This information can be used to assess the health of the intended subject, the physical condition of the subject, or the subject's ability to participate in a given activity.
This physiological data can be relatively easy to measure and monitor in a doctor's or veterinarian's office or hospital. In those instances, the patient can be connected to physiological measurement devices directly coupled to central stations that monitor and record patient data. Such physiological measurement devices typically are dedicated devices that assess a single or related group of physiological parameters. However, various physiological data is often helpful, if not required, when a subject is not in a medical office or hospital and cannot be connected to central monitoring stations, such as when in transit, as from an emergency or accident, or when in a war zone site, where connection to cumbersome monitoring devices is not practical. For example, higher survival rates of soldiers may be possible if various physiological data could be remotely monitored by military medics when the soldiers are on battlefields and when being transported to medical facilities or extended care facilities.
Non-invasive and remote monitoring of various physiological parameters also is helpful to determine if a subject is in condition to perform a selected activity. For example, physiological data could aid in determining if a pilot's physical condition could inhibit her ability to safely fly an aircraft. Similarly, the non-invasive remote monitoring of physiological data of astronauts could indicate remedial measures that the astronauts could take to maintain or improve their health while in space. Non-invasive and remote physiological monitoring systems could also measure various physiological data of automobile drivers or other heavy-machinery operators and transmit that data to devices that would disable the engines of the machinery when high blood alcohol is indicated.
Non-invasive and remote monitoring also is useful to medical personnel to monitor a patient's physiological state while the patient is at home, at a senior center, or otherwise away from a hospital or doctor's office setting. Physiological parameters of the patient could be measured and transmitted to a remote medical office or veterinarian facility, thus minimizing the need for numerous doctor, veterinarian, or hospital visits. Remote monitoring also could indicate whether a patient, whose location is unknown, is dead or alive, such as when a patient is lost under rubble caused by an earthquake, hurricane, or man-made disaster.
However, to be practical in the above-described situations, a device capable of non-invasive and remote monitoring of a patient should be relatively small, comfortable, and wearable for the patient for extended periods. Present-day monitoring devices are often large, cumbersome, stiff, and restrictive and do not allow the patient to move comfortably. Such monitoring devices often extend multiple electronic or biosensor leads from a monitoring station to a patient or require cuffs or bands to be wrapped around the patient. To that end, present-day monitoring devices typically do not have their own power sources, and are required to be connected to an electronic wall socket or generator to operate. This prevents a patient from moving freely, as may be required on a battlefield, when undertaking to operate an aircraft, automobile, or heavy machinery, or even when at home.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a small, flexible, non-invasive device for physiological monitoring that permits a patient to move freely and comfortably. In addition, it is desirable to provide a wearable biocybernetic monitoring device that permits wireless remote monitoring of physiological parameters of a patient. It also is desirable to provide a physiological monitoring system that utilizes such devices. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.